Farmers devastated as once-reliable harvests spiral into uncertainty: 'I'm worried about it lasting to the next generation'

As scientific consensus has been telling us for decades, human activity is leading to increasing global temperatures and changing our everyday life — now even affecting our favorite flavors. 

According to one recent study, whether in your cup in the morning or your ice cream at night, a pantry staple is under threat as vanilla bean farmers on the front lines of changing growing conditions struggle to adapt to heat, drought, and extreme weather. 

What's happening?

In the northwest Sava region of Madagascar, where as much as 80% of the world's (delicate) vanilla beans are produced, farmers are concerned for the future of the flavorful bean and their families due to worsening growing seasons and chaotic climate conditions.

Over 90% of Savan farmers have reported increases in temperature and decreases in rainfall over just the past five years, which they say make it more difficult to farm, according to a recent study by researchers at Duke University and Madagascar's University of Antananarivo.

One fruit farmer said the traditional start of harvesting has shifted more than a month from the traditional November season, according to a summary of the study posted to Phys.org. 

Another, meanwhile, said they're concerned about relying on their rice paddy in the coming years. "I am worried about it lasting to the next generation," she said, according to the researchers' summary.

Data from 15 weather stations across Madagascar show that average temperatures have grown warmer over the past 50 years, while at the same time average precipitation has decreased. 

Why does it matter?

"It is a serious problem that many farmers worldwide are facing, particularly in tropical areas," said study co-author and Duke professor Randall Kramer. But small-scale farmers — who produce a third of the world's food supply — are particularly vulnerable, he added.

Farmers in Madagascar already face numerous risks. Most are no strangers to cyclones and tropical storms, sometimes forcing families to relocate or flee their homes. And making crops harder to get to market and the world.

With planting seasons already under pressure, Savan vanilla farmers are struggling to keep up with climate shifts — leaving them with lower crop yields and more pests, heat waves, and rainfall unpredictability.

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"Farmers are going to have to be more flexible, more resourceful, and take more risks," Kramer said. "That's really problematic when the success of your farm in a particular year determines if your family goes hungry or not."

What's being done about it?

Adapting practices such as adding fruit trees to fields or raising fish in flooded rice paddies to combat these climate changes "could improve food security, but also help with fertilization and pest control," said study co-author Voahangy Soarimalala, president of Madagascar's Vahatra Association and curator at the University of Antananarivo.

Beyond the initial study, the university groups intend to expand further studies across 34 villages in the region to understand farmers' experiences across a wider range of habitats, and their experience with mitigation attempts to better understand the scope of the problem.

The best thing individuals can do about the effects of climate change is to try to reduce their carbon pollution levels to help cool down the planet. Relying more on locally grown produce — even better when growing your own — or increasing electric efficiency at home or on the road can make a huge difference to your life and others.

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